Chapter 5
The cheeky boy was caught by Lu Mingxiao, who slapped his head several times with a slipper. He yelled and tried to dodge, but when he turned around and saw Jiang Huaiyu, his eyes widened suddenly. He stopped dodging and got slapped twice more with the slipper.
"Wow, this guy's got some serious looks." The skinny, dark-skinned boy grabbed Lu Mingxiao: "Brother Xiao, which boy group trainee did you snag?"
"Get lost." Lu Mingxiao kicked him: "This is... a distant cousin of mine."
"Hey cousin, my name is Li Rui, I'm Xiao Ge's childhood friend. Where are you from? From the south? How come you're so fair-skinned? Tell me your beauty secrets..."
Jiang Huaiyu: ...
He had never met someone so outgoing. In his social circle, the teenagers of his age gradually split into two factions: those who were strictly required by their families to become qualified successors, and those who indulged in a life of romance and pleasure...
Jiang Huaiyu belongs to the former group, and most of his friends are naturally also from the former group. When they socialize together, they are always very tactful. Li Rui's method of asking questions like a machine gun on their first meeting completely baffled the young master.
But Li Rui, that brat, had already revealed his true intentions, and leaned over to ask, "Um... do you have any older or younger sisters?"
Lu Mingxiao kicked him away: "Get lost, can't you have any shame?"
Li Rui ran into his yard with a grin, "Brother Xiao, wanna go to the internet cafe tomorrow?"
Thinking of the smoky smell of that place, and looking at the clean-cut young master, Lu Mingxiao clicked his tongue and said, "I'm not going. My relatives are coming to visit."
The two walked out of the alley, and Jiang Huaiyu followed behind Lu Mingxiao, saying, "You can do whatever you want tomorrow, don't worry about me."
"Don't care about you?" Lu Mingxiao chuckled. "Mom's going to beat me when she gets back..."
Besides, he wasn't going to internet cafes to play games; he was going to do some online game boosting. Since he was a minor, he couldn't register a boosting account on legitimate boosting platforms, so he could only take jobs privately. At first, he was scammed quite a few times, and many people blocked him after completing the job. Later, he gradually selected a few reliable old clients, and that's when things started to stabilize.
With such a change in his family situation, even someone as composed as him couldn't help but feel confused. He has already informed several business owners that he will not be taking any more orders for the time being.
He also finds the mixed smells in internet cafes disgusting and avoids them whenever possible. He's currently planning to buy a computer for home use.
Jiang Huaiyu was distracted by his words "our mom," and the two of them walked to a bathhouse without saying a word.
The bathhouse was newly renovated and very luxurious. When Jiang Huaiyu entered, she was almost dazzled by the large glass crystal chandelier hanging high above the reception desk. On the left and right sides of the reception desk were curtains with "Men" and "Women" written on them. You could smell the dampness from the doorway.
Jiang Huaiyu hesitated for a moment. He and his parents had been to the hot springs before, and he felt that this place was subtly different from the "bathhouse" he remembered. Meanwhile, Lu Mingxiao had already taken the wristband, and the receptionist announced loudly:
"Two male guests! Please come in—!!"
Lu Mingxiao waved his hand: "Let's go."
Jiang Huaiyu silently followed him into the changing area, and then saw a somewhat fierce-looking man walk over shirtless and greet Lu Mingxiao: "Xiao Xiao, here to take a shower? Your mom isn't back yet? A friend of mine needs to renovate his house, and I was thinking of having your mom take on the job."
Lu Mingxiao said with a smile, "Brother Hao, are you in a hurry for this job? It's probably not possible to start work in a hurry. My mother went to the provincial capital with my father and won't be back for ten days or half a month."
As he spoke, he grabbed the hem of his T-shirt with both hands and pulled it up...
Before Jiang Huaiyu could recover from the sight of all sorts of bodies swaying around the room, she unexpectedly bumped into Lu Mingxiao's bare back. The smooth muscle lines and narrow waistline of his back gave his body a ruggedness that only a mature man possesses, yet it also retained the slenderness of a young man. It was a very handsome back view...
But that's not the point...
The main point is, shouldn't changing rooms be private?!
Are people just going to walk around naked like this? Is that right?!
Wait... are we going to have to be completely naked inside...?
Young Master Jiang stood at the door, his body practically broken, while Lu Mingxiao remained oblivious, still talking to that Brother Hao, and hopping on one foot to take off his athletic shorts. Turning around, he saw Jiang Huaiyu looking like he was in a daze and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Young Master, didn't you say you wanted to take a shower? What are you standing there for? Take them off!"
Jiang Huaiyu's lips moved, and after a long while, she asked, "Inside too, will we all wash together?"
Lu Mingxiao sensed something was wrong and realized something: "Oh! You use private rooms? Most bathhouses around here have one big room with one shower head per person..."
Jiang Huaiyu took a step back, then another.
Wearing only boxer briefs, Lu Mingxiao asked, "What are you doing? You're not trying to run away, are you? You've been sweating all day, aren't you uncomfortable?"
Just then, a refreshed old man passed by, glanced down at Lu Mingxiao, and said with a smile, "Little Lu, you're really good-looking."
Jiang Huaiyu: ...
He managed to keep his neck from looking down and following the old man's gaze.
"Thank you, Uncle Li..." Lu Mingxiao replied without batting an eye, then crossed his arms and looked at Jiang Huaiyu: "Tsk... Alright, wrap a towel around yourself and go in, I'll figure something out for you."
...
To create two more shower stalls, the bathhouse installed two shower heads in an irregularly shaped wall, with the location being a deep recess. There weren't many people today, and when Lu Mingxiao blocked the "entrance/exit," no one was so inconsiderate as to try to squeeze in there.
Jiang Huaiyu was able to book a "single room" all by herself in this way.
Through the rising steam, Jiang Huaiyu glanced at Lu Mingxiao, who had his back to him.
The boy was humming a song with a mixed accent, his head down, rinsing the foam on his head.
Instead of mocking Jiang Huaiyu for being "fussy," he proactively explained on his behalf when Brother Hao looked over curiously: "It's understandable that my relative from the south isn't used to our bathing style..."
The Lu family really raised his parents' child very well. They may not have been materially wealthy, but Lu Mingxiao was clearly a spiritually rich person.
Jiang Huaiyu quickly rinsed off. He was just not used to being open with so many people, but he wasn't shy about it. By the time he finished showering and went out to get dressed, he was able to keep a straight face.
Stepping out of the bathhouse, with the night breeze blowing, Young Master Jiang felt that nothing in this world could defeat him anymore.
He probably thought he was acting completely nonchalant, but Lu Mingxiao had been secretly laughing all the way while staring at his burning red ears.
Dinner was at a barbecue stall, and Jiang Huaiyu paid for the meal, thanking Lu Mingxiao for his help earlier.
Lu Mingxiao did not refuse.
After finishing their meal, the two walked back to the courtyard. The puddles on the road had been dried by the sun all day, leaving only a few potholes. Jiang Huaiyu carefully walked around them, but still managed to get his shoes dirty. Fortunately, it was only a little. While he was wiping his shoes with a wet wipe, Lu Mingxiao stood in the yard and used a hose to rinse his slippers and feet clean. He even dragged the big yellow dog over to rinse it as well.
The dog was quite calm and let Lu Mingxiao pet it. Jiang Huaiyu changed into the slippers she had brought and went over to look at it for a while: "This dog is so well-behaved."
“It’s an old dog. My family brought it home when I was in elementary school. Its name is Tiger.” Lu Mingxiao rubbed the dog’s ears clean. “Brother Tiger hasn’t eaten yet, has he? There’s no leftover food today. You can just eat a bite of dog food… Young Master, could you do me a favor and go to the cabinet on the left side of the living room and put a bowl of dog food under Tiger’s head?”
Jiang Huaiyu nodded and went to find the dog food bag. When he returned, Hu Zi was shaking off water. Seeing him holding his food bowl, Hu Zi gave Jiang Huaiyu a friendly look for the first time, wagging his tail and circling around him.
Before going to sleep, Jiang Huaiyu touched Hu Zi's dog head.
Lying on that narrow single bed, Jiang Huaiyu inexplicably felt that Lu Mingxiao had already seen through his desire to pet the dog, which was why he gave the dog a bath and even made him feed the dog to build a closer relationship.
What kind of family can raise such a child, who is considerate and thoughtful in every way, and who can take care of other people's feelings?
Children who are truly spoiled and pampered find it difficult to do these things, and Jiang Huaiyu admits that she cannot do them.
After hesitating for a long time, he turned to the side and looked at the wooden board separating the two of them: "Lu Mingxiao, are you asleep?"
Lu Mingxiao gave a short hum, indicating that he was not asleep yet.
Jiang Huaiyu then raised her voice slightly: "I have a question for you."
Lu Mingxiao snorted again, his tone slightly lower, indicating that he could ask.
"You..." Jiang Huaiyu hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "Why don't you go back to the Jiang family?"
Cicadas were chirping outside the window, the fan was running on Lu Mingxiao's side, and the air conditioner was blowing cool air on Jiang Huaiyu's side...
Just when Jiang Huaiyu thought Lu Mingxiao wouldn't answer, the boy's slightly hoarse voice came through the wooden board.
“It’s nothing, Dad’s health isn’t good, he needs someone to take care of him, and Mom can’t manage on her own. They don’t want to accept the Jiang family’s financial assistance, feeling that they’ve neglected the Jiang family’s own son in terms of food, clothing, and shelter over the years, how could they have the nerve to ask for their money again…” Lu Mingxiao’s voice softened, tinged with sleepiness, probably because he was really tired. He mumbled his thoughts, “What am I going to do when I go back… should I leave them with you… young master…”
The cicadas had stopped chirping, and only the moonlight shone through the gaps in the curtains, falling on Jiang Huaiyu's porcelain-white, delicate face. After a long while, her beautiful, slightly upturned eyes blinked once.
...
The next morning, someone knocked on the iron gate. Hu Zi barked loudly. Jiang Huaiyu had tossed and turned all night and slept very late. Startled by the noise, she instinctively pulled the blanket over her ears. In her drowsy state, she heard Lu Mingxiao push open the door, go out, and talk to someone while comforting the dog.
A group of people carried things into the yard, and only then did Lu Mingxiao return. When he opened the door, he was accompanied by a refreshing summer morning breeze.
Jiang Huaiyu poked her head out and asked, "Who's here?"
Lu Mingxiao pointed to the southwest corner of the yard: "The one delivering the waterproofing materials, I'll go and apply it after breakfast. Once the waterproofing is done, you won't need to go to that bathhouse anymore, and it'll save you from feeling uncomfortable..."
Jiang Huaiyu thought to herself: He's only staying for a few days, there's really no need to go to such lengths, but then she thought again, the Lu family also needs to use this shower room...
He roused himself and sat up.
"Can I go with you to apply it? Can you teach me?"
Seemingly surprised by his request, Lu Mingxiao paused for a moment, then smiled.
"Okay, let's go then, let's go eat first."
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